Jinji Lake CBD

Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP), launched in 1994 as a Singapore-China joint development project, is one of the most successful special-economic-zone experiments in modern China. The Industrial Park covers 288 km² east of the Suzhou old city, divided between Jinji Lake's western financial-and-residential zone and the eastern manufacturing and research-park districts.

Jinji Lake's eastern shore is the polished commercial face of the Industrial Park. Suzhou Centre, a connected mall-and-tower complex, contains the largest single retail venue in Suzhou — high-end international brands, restaurant towers, and a connected office complex including some of the city's tallest buildings (the Gate of the Orient, completed 2014, is 301 m).

The lake itself is a substantial leisure space, with a continuous shoreline boardwalk, water-tour boats, and the Suzhou Cultural Arts Centre (a Paul Andreu-designed performance hall on the eastern shore). The Ferris wheel at the southern end of the lake is one of the city's standard evening photographs.

Times Square, on the eastern lakeshore, replicates a Singapore-style outdoor lifestyle-retail and dining environment — mid-tier international brands, casual dining chains, and a concentrated late-evening atmosphere. Linhuhu Park, on the western edge of the Industrial Park, provides a quieter green space.

The Industrial Park is the residential base for most of Suzhou's substantial expatriate and Singaporean diaspora; the Singapore International School, several international primary schools, and a number of foreign-cuisine restaurants concentrate here.